But conventional rockets are not the only way of getting into space. Space shuttle craft will become more common in the years ahead. The United States has had its Space Transportation System, the official name for the Shuttle, operating since the early nineteen-eighties. A new craft is being developed in the USA, the VentureStar, and several other countries are developing shuttle vehicles. The Russian have one called Buran, but it is not now operational and was never used as a manned vehicle; while Japan has its Hope-X; and the European Space Agency has plans for a small manned shuttle.